This May, the Portland Youth Philharmonic explores the evolving soundscapes of classical music in Hillsboro — tracing a path between contemporary composition and the rich textures of Persian musical tradition.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, May 17, the orchestra’s chamber ensemble, Camerata PYP, returns to the Walters Cultural Arts Center for a performance that reaches across continents and centuries.

Part of the group’s Sound Garden series, the concert features new works by composers Farhad Poupel, Kamyar Mohajer and Bobak Salehi that bring traditional Persian instruments into dialogue with contemporary orchestral forms.

Performing alongside the ensemble are Hossein and Bobak Salehi of Beaverton’s ArtMax Academy and Iranian santoor player Mahtab Nadalian. A graduate of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran, Nadalian studied under maestro Arfa’ Atraee at the Tehran Music Conservatory and has performed at prominent events such as the Iranian Women’s Music Festival and the Fajr International Music Festival. Now based in Pittsburgh, she brings both classical expertise and lived experience to the stage, offering a sound shaped by migration, memory and mastery.

The program also spotlights “Symphony for String Orchestra” by Polina Nazaykinskaya, “Short Variations for String Orchestra” by Eric Simonson and a new composition by Dinah Bianchi — a contemplative work that explores solitude through layered, searching melodies.

Opening the afternoon is French horn player Haruka Sakiyama, this year’s runner-up in Portland Youth Philharmonic’s Concerto Competition, with a performance offering a glimpse of the next generation of musicians finding their place in the classical tradition.

Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door. To reserve seats, visit cityofhillsboro.ticketspice.com/portland-youth-philharmonic.